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Relaxation has a very profound effect on both body and mind, much like the breath. It is not easy to relax every limb and muscle of the body. Nor is it easy to relax the breath, or to free and relax the mind. Our bodily tension pulls us in one direction, while improper breath regulation pulls us in another, and our mind pulls us in yet another. Consequently, there is no true relaxation. Therefore, relaxation means to be relaxed both physically and mentally. In yoga and daily life, we have two definitions for relaxation. The first is outer relaxation, where we try to relax our limbs—our legs and hands—essentially, the body. This also means creating a distance from the outer world. But more important is inner relaxation. Inner relaxation cannot take place unless you have learned to give up. As soon as you begin to relax, thoughts considered problematic will attack you, creating fear and restlessness. Inner relaxation comes from renunciation. It means detaching yourself from a problem for the time being. However, it is not easy to detach from certain problems. They may be social, impersonal, or personal—emotional fears and so on. To achieve inner relaxation, there are two ways. First, do not fixate on a particular thought or problem. That is very important. Second, consciously answer with your intellect and your feelings, declaring, "I don’t want this kind of thought in me," or "It is not necessary," or "Now I will only relax." This is easy to say but difficult to achieve. Yet it can be achieved, as we always proceed step by step. Therefore, we have very systematic, step-by-step instructions in our relaxation practices as well as in our self-inquiry meditation. First, we invite the person to make oneself comfortable. That is very important. After becoming comfortable, we instruct one to simply relax and close the eyes. As soon as we instruct someone to close their eyes, 80% of one's awareness is automatically detached from the outer world. Then we say, withdraw yourself from the external world and be aware of your being here in this hall, physically and mentally. At that time, the person is truly withdrawing from external objects. We then come to the next level: try to relax the whole body. Whether you are sitting in meditation or lying down does not matter. The most significant part of relaxation takes place with the breath. Therefore, we give instructions to relax the breath. Then we come to the point of feeling the expansion and contraction of the trunk of the body with the breath. This puts a person into such a deep relaxation that one becomes very calm, sometimes even beginning to sleep. That is why in Yoga Nidrā, when you reach this point, you begin to hear snoring. We then slowly wake them up or bring them back from relaxation: hear the breath sound, feel your body, and become aware of the outer world. Listen to the different sounds, and again, take a deep inhale. Once more, it is the breath that will make you extroverted. Relaxation is also a kind of therapy. Many problems can be solved through relaxation. There are certain muscles, nerves, or ligaments in the body that are tense and can create headaches, chest pain—which you might think is in the heart, but it is not—or stomach problems. Sometimes, during menstruation, there are very strong spasms, and that is related to a lack of relaxation. A quicker way to achieve relaxation is through stretching. You stretch and then relax. When you stretch, you remove energy that is half-dead, the blocked energy. When you release after stretching, fresh blood runs to that area. For example, when you press your palm, you see a white spot around the thumb. But very soon, it is covered with blood again. Pressing means the energy of the blood goes away from there, and when you release, fresh blood returns. This aids in relaxation, and many problems, even psychic ones, can be solved through relaxation. To be relaxed and relaxed.